Ryan will back Trump if he's the nominee, despite criticism

House Speaker Paul Ryan said he would back whoever wins the Republican nomination, even after sharply criticizing the tone and violence at Donald Trump's rallies.

"My position hasn't changed on that," he said on Tuesday when asked whether he would support the eventual nominee, whoever it may be.

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Ryan (R-Wis.), the 2012 vice presidential nominee, has been openly critical of Trump on several occasions. He was opposed to the New York billionaire's plan to temporarily bar Muslims from the United States, and when Trump appeared hesitant to disavow the support of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, Ryan said, "This party doesn't prey on people's prejudices."

His latest broadside against how Trump comports himself at rallies started with comments on a radio show in Janesville, Wisconsin, Monday. And it continued when Ryan got to Washington on Tuesday. During a news conference at the Republican National Committee's headquarters, Ryan said Democrats should be condemned for starting disruptive protests at Trump's rallies. But he said all candidates "have an obligation to do what they can do to try and provide an atmosphere of harmony."

"To reduce violence, " Ryan continued. "To not incite violence. And to make sure we are appealing to people on their best ideals. That we are going to unite the country around ideas that unite the country so we can actually fix our country's problems."

But when asked how he could stand behind Trump as the nominee if he has fundamental issues with the front-runner, Ryan said, "The Republican primary voters are going to make a decision. This is not our decision to make."

"I am speaker of the House, so I am going to keep doing what I said I am going to do," Ryan said. "Which is when I see our principles being distorted, we are going to stand up in defense of our principles. Not just Republican principles, conservative principles, but American principles. At the same time, what can we control? We can control our agenda. That's what we're doing. With respect to who the nominee is going to be, that's going to be selected by the voters."

Ryan did say he had a positive conversation with Trump about the House GOP agenda project.